In a communication system, when a wireless terminal desires to add, use or modify certain resources, the wireless terminal make a request to a Policy Enforcement Point (PEP). The PEP in turns communicates with Policy Decision Point (PDP), which is a part of a core network, to carry out the wireless terminal's request. The main reason for having a policy control protocol is to allow PDPs to authorize the use of network resources based on local policies within an operator's domain. Policy control is not limited to certain applications. However, it is expected to be used for applications that require resource reservation. In addition to authorizing the use of network resources based on local policies, policy control may have direct knowledge about whether a resource is in fact being used by the device. This is done through interfacing to session control elements within the network that ensure the binding between sessions that are being negotiated or already established and the requested resources for such sessions.
Generally, the PDP performs various checks to determine if the requesting wireless terminal is allowed access to the requested resources. Once the determination is made, the PDP communicates to the PEP of the decision. PEP then relay this information to the wireless terminal. In a fixed network, the PDP is aware of which PEP made the request on behalf of the wireless terminal. Also, PEP is aware of the status and information about the PDP while it awaits a response from PDP. In a fixed network, this PEP is the only one that knows the request information and status of PDP and terminals generally communicate with that PEP. However, in a mobile network this poses a problem. This especially true, for a mobile network that uses Internet Access Nodes (AN) (e.g. Internet access routers embodied in core routers/gateways or in base stations) to communicate with wireless terminal and the PEP are configured to be part of each AN. If a wireless terminal moves to a new PEP (ie AN), the new PEP would not know about the pending resource request made to a PDP by the previous PEP. The PDP cannot associate a static PEP with a particular subscriber as the PEP will likely change several times during a session. Generally, the PEP only maintains information about allocated resource that it assisted in getting. In a mobile network, it is common that a wireless terminal may move within a large geographical area. Thus, the wireless terminal may move from one AN to another. It is possible that the wireless terminal makes a request using a first PEP at a first AN and moves to another PEP and AN before the PDP has a chance to reply. Therefore, there is a need for a system that allows the wireless terminal to make a request using one PEP and receive a reply at another PEP and modify an existing resource established at one PEP through another.